Non-Surgical Treatment for Failed Spine Surgery

Some of the most popular non-surgical treatment for failed spine surgery includes:

  • Physical Therapy/Spinal Stabilization Exercises
  • Minor Nerve Blocks
  • Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS)
  • Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory (NSAID) Drugs
  • Spinal Cord Stimulation

Let us take a brief look at each of these treatment options and see how they work for failed spine surgery patients:

Physical Therapy or Spinal Stabilization Exercises

This option includes a range of exercises that help in stabilizing the spine which might have been disturbed due to a spinal surgery. A physical therapist is trained to help the patient learn the proper technique. Some of the most effective spine stabilization exercises include:

  • Hamstring Stretch
  • Pelvic Tilt
  • Arm/Leg Raises
  • Exercise Ball Bridges

Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS)

non-surgical-treatmentIn this therapy low-voltage electrical current is used to help patients suffering from failed back surgery syndrome get relief from their pain.  In this technique electrodes that carry low-voltage electrical current are placed in the area of pain (lumbar, cervical and thoracic region) which creates a circuit of electrical impulses that travels along nerve fibers.

The electrodes are often placed on the area of pain or at a pressure point, creating a circuit of electrical impulses that travels along nerve fibers.

Minor Nerve Blocks

In a nerve block injection a patient who is suffering from FBSS is injected with a numbing medicine or anesthetic in the area around the nerve that is painful.  Doctors also use this technique to understand or diagnose why the back pain is occurring.

NSAIDs: Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs

Inflammation is one of the most common factors that lead to back pain in patients suffering from FBSS. This is where non-inflammatory medications work as effective pain treatment option.  Generally used NSAIDs for back pain include:

  • Naproxen like Naprosynand and Aleve
  • Ibuprofen like Motrin,  Advil and Nuprin
  • C0X-2 inhibitors like Celebrex

Spinal Cord Stimulation

This technique uses a device that exerts pulsed electrical signals in the spinal cord so that the chronic pain in the spinal cord can be controlled. Spinal cord stimulation has analgesic properties and this technique is often used for the treatment of failed back surgery syndrome.